1st Sunday of Advent Mt 24, 37-44 ‘ Game ka na ba?’ As little children, whenever the moon was full we would play hide and seek wherein the one who was “it” had count 1-2-3-4…while the rest looked for a place to hide. The “it” would keep calling out “Game na?” and the rest would scamper away shouting “Not yet!” until finally he shouts out with finality, “Game na!” Whether you were ready or not, that was it. That was the final call. No more exceptions. It was really and literally game na. The Gospel of today, the first Sunday of Advent, reminds us of the finality and suddenness of death: “Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day the Lord will come.” (Mt.24, 37-44) The message is simple and clear: Be ready, be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come. If the Lord called you today, would you be ready? Not yet? How many years already have you been saying, “Not yet Lord”? Do not postpone your conversion. The Lord may call you sooner than you think or imagine. Game ka na ba? Let’s face it, none of us will leave this world alive. There is no other exit from this world but death. No matter how long the expressway, you still have to come to the toll gate. If you have an e-pass (eternity pass) you will go through in a breeze. If all your life you have been loaded with cash and coupons of misconduct and violations, you will have to go through the long line where the exact toll will be demanded of you. So, why you don’t you prepare for an easy and even toll-free exit now? Set things straight with your God and with your neighbor, and death will send you straight into the home of our Heavenly Father. It is not easy to let go of our loved ones in death. Even now, I still wish my father were still alive. The pain is never really gone. We just learn to cope with the loss and the pain as time goes by. But what is never gone is the fact that we, too, will follow, and that it is just really a matter of time. That being the case, let us continue to pray for the grace of a happy death. Let us ask the Lord today for three “grants” when we leave these world: grant that I will be ready (no mortal sin); grant that I have already done my mission; grant that those I leave behind will not be too heavily burdened by my leaving. Amen. Dec.8 is the 89th birthday of my mother, Concepcion Muñoz Orbos, a simple woman with simple dreams, whose whole lifetime has been filled prayer and love. She always told us, her children, that her greatest desire is that we all live meaningful and grateful lives. Her greatest joy, she said, is that we all go to heaven at the end of earthly life. Through the years, Mama has always remained simple and focused. For her, life is a mission, and heaven is the final destination. Isn’t that what advent is all about, a focusing on the basics in life? Mama has always been a living advent, so full of hope and expectation, and a living Christmas, so full of joy and love. When was the last time you saw the moon? There’s a beautiful moon out there these days. Take time to see the moon and be reminded of God’s gentle presence in our busy and often troubled world. Let the radiance of the moon be a source of hope and inspiration for us. Look up. There is hope. There is God. Like the gentle moonlight, may the grace of God fall gently upon us all especially this Advent and this Christmas season. A Moment with the Lord Lord, grant that when your final call comes, I’ll be ready and be really “game na” . Amen.
Posted on: Mon, 02 Dec 2013 06:08:24 +0000
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